Rhodium plated electrodes are used in the soda industry for electrolysis of salt water, and for electrodes for domestic water treatment. Rhodium plating is used widely in the jewelry industry. In the electronics industry, rhodium plating is used for electrical contacts in, e.g., ferreed switches.
It is known that rhodium metal tends to electroplate with high stress. This limits the thickness range over which electroplated layers can be produced without cracking. Moreover, the brightness of conventionally plated rhodium layers declines as the plating thickness increases. Accordingly the thickness of bright rhodium electroplated layers is typically limited to approximately 20 microinches or less. While this thickness may be suitable for some applications, thicker plated layers which retain the brightness of thin layers and are crack free would be desirable for nearly all applications.